Pac-10 Internal Affairs

USC: Trojans QB Mark Sanchez has been cleared to play at Virginia, but it's not unreasonable to wonder about how his formerly dislocated knee will hold up amid the rigors of game conditions. That's why news that Aaron Corp had eclipsed Mitch Mustain for the backup job is so important. Sanchez may play every meaningful snap this season -- or he might be knocked out the first time his knee takes a hit. It seemed like the USC coaches wanted Mustain, who saw significant action at Arkansas before transferring, to win the job, but he mixed too many mistakes into his repetitions while Corp seemed to get more and more confident.

Washington: The first quarter should be very telling at Autzen Stadium. The Huskies will start four freshmen, including true freshmen at TB and DT, and only six seniors. Many others will be seeing their first significant college action inside the most hostile venue in the Pac-10 -- and the nation, for that matter. Will the youngsters hold up, or will they make critical mistakes that irrevocably turn the momentum early? Of course, last year's game was tied at 24 after three quarters before the Ducks exploded in the fourth to finish off a 55-34 win, so how the Huskies young defensive front holds up late against a rugged, seasoned Ducks O-line will be just as critical.

Oregon: While the Oregon defense is being celebrated for its secondary, the Ducks scheme priority is stopping the run (which is why the Ducks gave up a misleading amount of passing yards last season -- see opponent's completion percentage (53) and INTs (20) for a better measure of the secondary). But the up-the-middle defense is suspect, with two new DTs and a MLB, John Bacon, coming off knee surgery. The Huskies OL is strong inside, so a good way to quiet the Autzen Stadium crowd -- and play keep-away from the Ducks potent spread offense -- might be to run right at the Ducks.

Oregon State: The Oregon State defensive front seven features entirely new starters, and the Beavers are notorious for their uneven early-season performances, but Stanford might offer a perfect test. For one, the Cardinal offense was the worst in the Pac-10 a year ago and was missing two starters before preseason camp began: TE Jim Dray and OT Allen Smith. Second, the injury bug hit late in camp, with starting guard Gustav Rystedt knocked out with a concussion and a pair of WRs, Chris Owusu and Marcus Rance, sidelined with knee injuries. Moreover, RB Toby Gerhart and WR Richard Sherman, the offense's two biggest playmakers, are banged up, though they should play. Since Stanford wasn't the deepest of teams in the first place, this patched-up offense figures to offer a less-than-imposing test for the rebuilt Beavers to find their game rhythm.

UCLA: It's almost impossible to imagine UCLA scoring many points against Tennessee on Monday night. So, the real issue is can the Bruins defense and special teams keep the game close? It bodes well that Tennessee is breaking in a new QB, junior Jonathan Crompton. The good news mostly ends there, though. First, problem: The Vols welcome back four OL starters -- a combined 62 starts -- from a crew that surrendered only four sacks last year (an NCAA record), and TB Arian Foster eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The WRs also are experienced. As for special teams, the Vols appeared severely hurt when All-SEC punter Britton Colquitt was suspended for five games, but his replacement, Chad Cunningham, has been a revelation in preseason camp. So big-footed Aaron Perez probably won't give the Bruins as much advantage as originally thought.